The
South East Asian nation of Myanmar
(also known as Burma), has a long
history as an independent nation,
punctuated by over sixty years of
conquest and occupation as a colonial
possession of the expansionist British
Empire. Burma was seized by the
Japanese in World War Two, and became a
major battleground as British, Indian,
American, and Chinese forces battled
against the Japanese. Three year after
the defeat of Japan, Burma once again
became an independent nation, but
almost immediately plunged into civil
war, as Karen ethnic group rebelled and
a Communist uprising nearly toppled the
new government. The civil war began in
1948, and has continued with varying
degrees of intensity ever since. In
1988, a pro-democracy movement was
crushed violently by the military
dictatorship, which also renamed the
nation "Myanmar." In late 2007, a new,
so-far peaceful anti-government
uprising led by Buddhist monks has been
met with violence from government
security forces.

It
should be noted that the current
involvement of the Buddhist monks in
the 2007 protests harkens back to the
long-running resistance to the British
conquest and occupation of Burma in the
19th and 20th Centuries. Many of the
protests against British rule were led
by Buddhist monks, so the current
monk-led protests are part of a
tradition of Burmese/Myanmar popular
action to unpopular and repressive
regimes.

Below
is a listing of the wars and conflicts
of Burma and Myanmar since the first
war with the British Empire in the
early 1800s.

First
Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826)

Second
Anglo-Burmese War
(1852)

Third
Anglo-Burmese War
(1885)

Burmese
Resistance to British
Conquest
(1885-1889)

Second
World War: Burma
Campaign
(1942-1945)

Burmese
Civil War
(1948-Present)--Long and complex civil
war involving several different
uprisings and rebellions against the
Burmese government. This long-running
war includes government warfare against
the Karen, Kachin, Shan and other
ethnic groups, Communist rebels, and
pro-democracy protesters and rebels
(these last two in 1988 and 2007). The
civil war includes the "Four
Eights" or 8888 Uprising
(August 8, 1988 to September 18, 1988),
in which over 3,000 were killed by the
military. Burmese/Myanmar rebel armies
and forces during the civil war
include:

Communist
Party of Burma (CPB)--The
Burmese Communist Party was active
against the British and Japanese
occupiers, and after independence in
1948, launched a rebellion against
the government. The CBP signed a
peace agreement with the government
ending its rebellion in
1989.

Active
opposition to the Myanmar/Burmese
government dates from March, 1948 to
1989. The CPB formed in
1939.

Karen
National Union (KNU)-- The main
Karen insurgent force. Active
opposition to the Myanmar/Burmese
government dates from 1948 to the
Present. The KNU formed in
1947.

United
Wa State Army (UWSA)--Formed in
1989 after the Communist Party of
Burma ended its war against the
government. The Wa ethnic group had
formed the bulk of the CPB's
military force, and they did not
want to end their war against the
Burmese government. The UWSA
continued resistance using the bases
and infrastructure created by the
Communists. The Wa live and operate
along the Chinese border. Active
opposition to the Myanmar/Burmese
government dates from 1989 to the
Present. The Wa fought against the
government as part of the CPB from
the 1970s to 1989.

Chin
National Front / Chin National
Army--The resistance movement of
the largely Christian Chin people.
Active opposition to the
Myanmar/Burmese government dates
from 1988 to the Present.

The
Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors
(VBSW) --anti-government
guerrilla group best known for a
1999 raid on the Myanmar embassy in
Bangkok, Thailand. The VBSW operates
out of refugee camps along the
Myanmar-Thai border. Known to be
allied with God's Army. Active
opposition to the Myanmar/Burmese
government dates from 1999. Sources:
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/vbsw.htm
and http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=4311

God's
Army of the Holy Mountain, best
known simply as "God's Army," is
a breakaway faction of one of the
largest Burmese opposition groups,
the Karen National Union (KNU).
Supposedly led by two children, the
brothers Johnny and Luthor Htoo, the
small Karen guerrilla group gained
world fame through the young age of
the brothers, as well as when God's
Army seized a medical complex along
the Myanmar-Thai border in January,
2000. Myanmar military assaults
virtually wiped the group out, and
the remnants, along with Johnny and
Luthor fled to Thailand in January,
2001. This effectively brought an
end to God's Army. Active opposition
to the Myanmar/Burmese government
dates from 1997 to 2001.